Don't Call Me Baby
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day three hundred and ninety-two:  don't 4/4  Tina would never say it in so many words, but she can't help thinking it...


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 18th cycle. Now cycle 19!_

_**Don't Stop Believin' (twice!), Don't Stand So Close To Me, Don't Make Me Over, Don't Rain on My Parade, Don't Go Breaking My Heart...** - Was noticing how many songs they've done on the show that start with 'Don't' and thus this little set was born ;) A few more entries to the pantheon of "Don't" songs :D [4th of 4]_

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**"Don't Call Me Baby"  
Tina, Artie, Mike, Artie/Tina, Mike/Tina, Santana/Brittany**

He was everywhere… No matter where she went, common-hangouts-syndrome kicked in, and there he was. At first it was awkward… Then part of her got paranoid, like maybe he was following her, but she came to her senses and decided it wasn't what she thought. But then as summer progressed, it seemed less crazy and more like she'd been right all along… Artie was going for visibility…

It wasn't like she'd planned for any of it. She didn't want to hurt anyone, least of all Artie. If she could have spared him pain, she would have. It was for that reason that she hadn't beaten around the bush, didn't hide it from him. She wasn't going to sneak around and then have him find out… It would have been a slap in the face. Still, it had been so difficult, her stomach was all in knots, and there was her rosacea again… She could just see the look on his face, even before she told him… She'd keep a strong face, as strong as she could, but then there'd been that face of his and she'd nearly lost it in front of him. But then as soon as she'd managed to get away, it had broken wide open. Her face was a mess by the time she made it home. Mike had called, knowing what she was on her way to do, but she couldn't call him back; with the way her voice sounded he would have come running and she didn't want to bother him with this… When she got home, there he was, waiting on the doorstep… She managed a shaky smile as he held her.

The weeks after that day, that was when things had gotten to where they were now. For as well as she'd tried to explain to him, Artie didn't seem to be grasping it. She still cared for him; that had nothing to do with it. But the more he held on, the more she could see it in her mind how she just wanted to pry his fingers off, one by one, so he would let go… It made her feel worse, so she just wanted him to understand, so he'd let go on his own and maybe they could work towards being friends again.

Then one day, she'd gone and met Mike at the mall. He was getting new shoes, but after they'd get to hang out. The music store was right across the way from the shoe place, so as they walked out, she asked to go, with pleading eyes. He smirked and grabbed her hand, leading her into the store. He tagged along as she zigzagged her way through the aisles. He'd quickly learned he had to hustle or he'd lose track of her. Then he'd be playing 'find Tina' for fifteen minutes. But then seeing how excited she'd get just made it all worth it.

"Hi guys!" he heard her say and looked over to find Brittany and Santana in the next aisle over. The girls gave greetings and Mike did the same.

"Well if it isn't the Changs," Santana smirked, and Brittany looked at her.

"I thought you called them 'Jin and Sun,'" she asked, confused. Santana closed her eyes, letting out a breath. Mike broke the silence.

"We're good, Santana," he nodded, and she turned to him. Her eyes kept going, past him and Tina.

"How's the former hubby?" she asked Tina with a bit of a smirk. She frowned, looking like she wanted to roll her eyes. "No, really, he looks like a wounded puppy on wheels," she indicated with a jerk of the head. Mike turned, Tina turned… Brittany waved. Artie, caught, waved back to Brittany, though Tina couldn't see this and thought he was waving at her instead.

"You don't have to say anything," Mike reminded her. Tina sighed, looking at him, then back at Artie. She couldn't keep explaining it, couldn't keep being pulled back… she needed to keep the channels shut for a while, so Artie would finally see they were done and she was with Mike… If she went to him, she'd get upset, and they didn't need that.

"What are you guys looking at?" she sighed, moving around the aisle to join Brittany and Santana. Mike watched as the two Cheerios parted to let Tina stand between them, absently browsing the CDs. It was easier to find refuge in music, they could all understand that. And even if her eyes were aimed at the CDs, it was clear to anyone who watched her that she wasn't in fact looking at the CDs… Her mind was elsewhere, in a place to say what she couldn't dare say.

_[T] "Stop trying, don't you see the look in my eyes? / And stop begging, can't you see I've run outta lies? / Stop showing up at my favorite restaurant / And dropping by my work saying you just wanna talk._

_Don't call me baby / Don't call me baby / Anymore."_

She'd made her choice and she was fine with it; she just needed him to realize it, find his own peace so they could all move on and she could stop feeling… residuals.

Her fantasy may have been her own, but it didn't mean she wouldn't incorporate ready-made backup in the form of Brittany and Santana when it was available.

_[T] " Stop running baby 'cause you've run outta time." / [B/S] "Stop running baby 'cause you've run outta time." / [T] "And stop asking, you know all the reasons why." / [B/S] "Stop asking, you know all the reasons why."_

_[T] "Stop staring through me like you know who I am." / [B/S] "Stop staring through me like you know who I am." / [T] "When you don't know me, you don't know me, barely knew me then." / [B/S] "You don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't."_

_[T] "And don't call me baby / Don't call me baby / Anymore._

_Hey, hey, hey / Walking away now, walking away now baby." / [B/S] "Oh baby." / [T] "Hey, hey, hey / Walking away now, walking away now baby." / [B/S] "Oh baby."_

_[T] "Don't call my number / Don't call me over / Don't call me baby / Anymore._

_What you gonna do my love? / What you gonna do? / What you gonna say this time? / What's your excuse? / When you gonna break my heart? / When you gonna break? / Nobody hurts like you._

_Stop staring through me like you know who I am / When you don't know me, you don't know me, barely knew me then." / [B/S] "You don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't."_

_[T] "And don't call me baby / Don't call me baby / Anymore._

_Hey, hey, hey / Walking away now, walking away now baby." / [B/S] "Oh baby." / [T] "Hey, hey, hey / Walking away now, walking away now baby." / [B/S] "Oh baby."_

_[T] "Don't call my number / Don't call me over / Don't call me baby / Anymore."_

When she blinked back to reality, the Cheerios were gone… so was Artie. There was Mike, now at her side. "You okay?" he asked with a concerned smile. She nodded, taking the offered hand.

"Getting there."

THE END

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[A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, story alert won't get you anything! ;)]


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